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Nigeria Premier League

W/Cup 2026 qualifying: Brazil denied by Venezuela overhead kick

Eduard Bello scored an overhead kick as Venezuela earned a 1-1 draw in Brazil in their 2026 World Cup qualifier.

Defender Gabriel Magalhaes headed Brazil ahead from Neymar’s corner shortly after half-time, before Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr had a goal disallowed for offside.

Bello made them pay when he netted spectacularly with five minutes to go.

Brazil fall to second in South American qualifying after three games, behind Argentina who have a 100% record.

Argentina earned their third win from three games in Conmebol qualifying with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay thanks to a brilliant goal from former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.

The 35-year-old scored his fifth goal in 106 international appearances just three minutes into the match in Buenos Aires, via an acrobatic back-post volley from a corner.

Lionel Messi, who has been struggling with a muscle problem in recent weeks, came on as a 53rd-minute substitute for the 2022 World Cup winners and struck the post with a free-kick late on.

Uruguay, who host Brazil in Montevideo in their next fixture on 17 October, earned a 2-2 draw away to Colombia thanks to a late Darwin Nunez penalty.

The Uruguayans, now managed by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, trailed to James Rodriguez’s 35th-minute strike but equalised through Mathias Olivera shortly after the interval.

Mateus Uribe restored the Colombian lead, but in the 87th minute their goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was sent off for fouling Maxi Araujo in the box, with Liverpool striker Nunez netting the penalty to earn a point.

Elsewhere, Chile beat Peru 2-0 while Ecuador won 2-1 in Bolivia.

All 10 teams in the Conmebol confederation play each other twice in qualifying, with the top six sides in the table reaching the 2026 World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico. The seventh-place finisher goes into an inter-confederation play-off.

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Nigeria Premier League

Kano Pillars Chairman praises players despite loss to Remo Stars

Kano Pillars

Kano Pillars chairman Alhaji Ali Muhammad Umar has commended his team despite their 2-1 defeat to Remo Stars in Ikenne on Sunday.

Speaking to the club’s media, Umar expressed pride in the players’ performance and praised their dominance throughout the match.

“I must commend the players and the technical crew for the way they approached the game. From the first whistle to the end of regulation time, they played with passion and dominated the match,” Umar stated.

He acknowledged the unpredictable nature of football, attributing the loss to bad luck.

“Sometimes, football can be cruel, and we were just unlucky not to secure all three points. We must build on this performance. The season is still ongoing, and I believe with more effort, we will achieve our objectives,” he added.

Kano Pillars are set to face rivals Katsina United in a rescheduled matchday 20 encounter at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Wednesday.

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Nigeria Premier League

Brown Ideye Set to Return for Enyimba After Injury Layoff

Brown Ideye

Former Super Eagles forward, Brown Ideye, is set to make his return for Enyimba in their upcoming league game following a brief injury layoff.

The 36-year-old striker has missed Enyimba’s last two league matches due to a minor injury. Enyimba’s media officer, David Orji, confirmed that Ideye has resumed personal training in preparation for his return to action.

“Ideye is back in training after sustaining a minor injury and should be fully fit soon,” Orji stated.

Ideye has made four league appearances for Enyimba, scoring once. Enyimba will host league leaders Remo Stars in a week 24 fixture in Aba on Sunday, as they aim to improve their standing from the eighth position in the league table, where they currently have 31 points.

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Nigeria Premier League

Mangut Blames Pitch Condition for Plateau United’s Draw Against Niger Tornadoes

Plateau United

Plateau United’s technical adviser, Mbwas Mangut, has pointed to the poor condition of the playing surface at Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna as a factor in his team’s 1-1 draw with Niger Tornadoes.

In a post-match interview, Mangut acknowledged the impact of the pitch on his team’s performance, though he expressed satisfaction with the result.

“We are happy with the one point; we came with the mindset to see if we can get the maximum points,” he said.

“You could see the condition of the ground; it didn’t allow us to express ourselves the way we used to play.”

Mangut reassured fans, saying, “With what we are doing, every fan should be patient. I believe that at the end of the day, this team will definitely be where they belong. There are so many factors that will take us to that level, and we are working on that.”

With the draw, Plateau United moved up to 15th position on the table.

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